Becoming A Disciple, Part 2
Mark 3:1-15
Message by Pastor Roe
The twelve disciples were ordinary men who had problems just like us. They also knew the cost of being a disciple and still left everything to follow Christ, the Rabbi.
Christ then trained them for a specific task. The task was to preach the Word to the world, Mark 3:14. He would train 12 ordinary men in three and a half years to do what normally took 14 years of intense training.
Christ had His work cut out for him because the 12 had many flaws. First, they were thickheaded. They were not academic elites and Christ had to explain himself to them over and over again, Mark 15:16, 17. After following Christ closely for over three years it changed them and they changed the world.
Next, they lacked humility. In Matthew 20:20-28 the Sons of Thunder, John and James, were fighting over who was going to sit next to Christ in heaven. The other disciples joined right in and got all upset. Christ on the other hand, handled himself with humility in everything He did. He even washed the disciple’s feet dirty, stinking feet.
They also lacked commitment. When the soldiers came to arrest Christ, Peter alone stands up trying to defend Christ. However, when it was all said and done, verse 50 tells us that they all forsook Christ and fled. They not just forsook Christ but ran when the time got tough. Once again we see the training kick in the last years of their lives because all, except for John, died a martyr’s death. In the end they were committed to the death.
Lastly, they lacked power. However, once again they allowed God to work through them and they accomplished what the Master sent them to do. We too are limited but Acts 1:8 says that God will give us power to preach the Word.
Will we make the choice to let God change us so we can change the world?